Electrical condenser.



N. H. SLAUGHTER.

ELECTRICAL CONDENSER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 16 1911.

1 ,290,382. Patented Jan. 7, 1919.

'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NUGENT H. SLAUGHTER, OF QUEENS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN ELECTRICCOMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRICAL connnnsnn.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 7, 1919.

Application filed March 16, 1917. Serial No. 155,242.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NUGENT H. SLApcH- TER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Queens, Long Island, in the county of Queens andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inElectrical Condensers, of which the fol lowing is a full, clear,concise, and exact description.

This invention relates to electrical condensers, and particularly tothat type of variable condensers in which a movable set of condenserplates is adapted to be adjustably interleaved wlth a stationary set ofplates in order to suitably adjust .the capacity ofthe condenser. It isdifficult to procure a fine ad ustment of the capacity values ofcondensers of this type, as only aslight movement of the adjustableplates serves to vary the capacity to a considerable de ree.

he resent invention relates to improvements in this type of condenser,whereby a very fine adjustment, to the precise capacity I value desired,may be easily obtained.

This is accomplished by providing two sets I of movable plates, one setcomprising the bulk of the movable plates, whlch ma be ten or twenty innumber, the other set aving only a small number of movable plates, forinstance, one or two. These sets are independently movable and both setsmay be adjustably interleaved with the stationary set. A capacity of agiven value is controlled by a much larger movement of the smaller setthan of the larger set, so that a step-by-step movement of the formergives a much finer graduation in values than can be secured by a similarstep by step movement of the larger set. The larger set of movableplates may be adjusted in position to roughly give the desired capacityvalue, and then, for purposes of fine adjustment, the smaller set of theplates may be moved to give the capacity the exact value desired.

For further details of the invention, reference may be made to thedrawin in which Figure 1 is a perspective view 0 the con denser top;Fig. 2, a perspective view partly in cross-section showing theindependently movable sets of condenser plates; Fig. 3 is across-section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a vertical section online 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, the semi-circular stationary elements orplates 1, which may be ten or twenty in number, are fastened in slots 2in the three aluminum uprights 4, 5 and 6. An aluminum upright 7 is alsoprovided which is in electrical contact wlth the movable sets of platesto be later described. The uprights 4, 5, 6 and 7 are mounted betweenthe circular bottom 8 and top 9 of insulatin material. The standards 4,5, 6 and 7 are fastened to the top and bottom 8 and 9 by means of screwssuch as shown at 10 in the condenser top, and 10 (Fig. 2) in thecondenser bottom which pass through the top or bottom, as the case maybe, into each end of the standards. In order to cover up the tops of thescrews 10, which are in electrical contact with the condenser elementsthrough the uprights, an additional circular top or covering 11 (Figs. 1and 4) may be provided. The top 11 may be held in position by suitablydisposed screws 12, which are threaded into the insulating cover 9.

The movable elements or plates 13 and the alternate spacers 14 areclamped on the hollow shaft 15 between the shoulder 16 (see Fig. 4)integral with the upper end of the shaft and the nut 17 (Fig. 2), whichis threaded on the lower end of shaft 15. The semi-circular plates 13are approximately the same in number as the stationary plates 1. Theshaft 15 is hollow, and dis osed within the same is a shaft 18, to theower end of which is clamped a single blade 19. This blade 19, which isprovided for purposes of fine adjustment, is held in position on theshaft 18 by means of the clamping nuts 20 and 21, which are threaded onthe shaft 18. Between the nut 17 and the nut 21 a washer 22 is provided.

Both of the movable sets of plates are carried by the shaft 18, thelower end of which is adjustably supported by the set screw 23, which isthreaded in the bushin 24 in the bottom 8, and which is held in a justedpotop 9.

The connecting lug 27, shown in Figs. 1 and 4, makes electricalconnection from all of the rotatable plates by means of the spring 26 tothe standard 7 to which the lug 27 is connected by means of the setscrew 10. The lower end of the standard 7 is also electrically connectedto the movable plates by means of the connecting strip 28, one end ofwhich is electrically connected with the standard 7 by means of the setscrew 10, and the other end of which is in electrical connection withthe movable plates through the set screw 23, and the lock nut25,*;}which clamps the strip 28 to the bottom 8. Electrical connectionmay be made to the condenser by means of the lead 29, which iselectrically connected to the movable plates by means of the set screw10, which serves as I a binding post, and by means of the lead 30, oneend of which is electrically connected to the stationary plates by meansof the set screw 10, which is screwed into the lower end of the standard4.

As shown in Fig, 4, the hollow shaft 15 has afiixed thereto, by means ofthe set screw 31, the knob 32, which may be turned to rotate the largerset of movable plates 13. F astened to the under side of the knob 32, bymeans of the set screw 33, is the dial 34, which cotiperates with thepointer 35 on the top 11 to show the position of the movable plates 13.The dial 34 is adapted to be clamped in any adjusted position by meansof the lock 75, which comprises a lug 36, which is clamped to the top 11by means of the set screw 37. One end of the lug 36 overhangs the dial34. The set screw 38, in the lug 36, is in threaded engagement with aplate 39 which is adapted to be raised to clamp the under side of thedial 34 when the set screw 38 is turned. The pin 40, on the plate 39,cooperates with the slot 41 in the lug 36 to restrain the movement ofthe plate 39 so that its outer end will always project under the dial34. When the set screw 38 is turned to lock the dial 34 the adjustedposition of the latter is not disturbed. At the outer end of the shaft18 is provided a handle 42, carrying a. pointer 43, which cooperateswith the suitably arranged indicating marks 44, provided on the top ofthe handle or knob 32. No means is provided for locking the handle 42 inits adjusted position, as the chances of the movable blade 19 beingjarred from its adjusted position are small, since the weight of thisplate is small compared to the weight of the plates 13 in the largerset.

The under side of the top 9 is provided with a circular groove 45, whichis adapted toaccommodate the upper edge of a cylindrical casing 46,which extends from the top 9 to the bottom 8. The casing 46 is held inposition by means of the lug 47 (see Fig. 3), which is retained by theset screw 48 in the bottom 8. When the set screw 48 is removed, thevertical end of the lug 47 may be moved out of the path of movement ofthe casing 46, which may then be withdrawn from the groove 45 and thecondenser elements which it protects.

It will be apparent that the auxiliary set of plates 19 provides meansfor securing a much finer adjustment of the capacity than would bepossible if only the larger set 1 were provided. While the smaller setis shown as consisting of only a single plate 19, it is obvious that alarger number of plates in this set may be provided if desired.

What is claimed is:

1. A condenser unit comprising stationary plates and two independentlyrotatable sets of plates.

2. A condenser comprising condense-r elements, means for varying thecapacity of said condenser comprising concentric shafts, said condenserelements being controlled by said shafts, and means for turning saidshafts.

' 3. A condenser unit comprising stationary plates, two sets of movableplates adapted to be interleaved 'with said stationary plates, twoconcentric shafts, each of said sets of movable plates being mounted onone of said shafts, and means for turning each of said shafts.

4. A condenser unit comprising stationary plates, two independentlyrotatable sets of plates, said rotatable plates being adapted to beadjustably interleaved with said stationary plates, and indicating meansassociated with each of said sets of rota-table plates.

5. A condenser comprising a stationary plate and a movable plate at eachside thereof, one of said movable plates being movable relatively to theother movable plate.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 13th day of March,A. 1).,

NUGENT H. SLAUGHTER.

